Today's Devotion
The events of 1 Kings 13 occur during the time when the kingdom of Israel was divided. After Solomon’s reign, the northern kingdom was ruled by Jeroboam, while the southern kingdom was ruled by Rehoboam. Jeroboam feared that if the people continued traveling to Jerusalem to worship, their loyalty might return to Judah. To prevent this, he established two golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:26–30). What began as a political strategy quickly became spiritual compromise. Because of this idolatry, God sent a man of God from Judah to deliver a prophetic message against the altar at Bethel.…
Matthew 14:15-20 ESV “Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the…
“Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” (Genesis 13:12-13, ESV) When someone moves to a new location, there are so many things to consider. How much will suitable housing cost? Is the neighborhood safe? What is the quality of the school district? Is the area convenient for shopping and for commuting to work? Do neighbors maintain their properties? Is there a church nearby that upholds biblical truth? Any move requires serious…
“I am who I am.” There are no more important words than these spoken by God. All other words in the Bible are only important because these words are true. In Exodus 3, God manifested Himself to Moses in a burning bush, so He could manifest Himself through Moses as a deliverer for His people. Because Moses’ authority was wrapped up in the God who commissioned him, he asked for His name to capture the essence of God’s character and being. In reply, God said, “‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I…
The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:12, NIV. The sun rose over the plains of Canaan, casting golden light over fields Israel had only dreamed of for generations. This was not just any day—it was the first day in forty years that no manna fell from the sky. The people stepped outside their tents, expecting to gather the thin, flaky bread that had sustained them through every trial in the wilderness. But the ground…
